the recap.

The Money Exchange:

Try to get your money exchanged away from the airport and touristy areas. You will find that many of these places may advertise 0% commission, but will destroy you with the service charge. Look around at a number of places that you find and specifically ask them how much $50, $100, whatever amount will become once exchanged.

London:

Get out of the city if you can and/or have time. Figure out the tube and take it to a suburb or a smaller town or a specific destination, such as Hampton Court or Wimbledon. The city is awesome, do not get me wrong, but getting outside the touristy areas is an incredible experience as well.

Amsterdam:

This is another city center to get away from, especially the Red Light District, as much as it may tickle your fancy. After traveling around and personally talking with people from the Netherlands, we found it is not ‘real’ Amsterdam. Of course it is a tourist destination, if you think about it. Get out of the city center. Find those little markets. Get away to the museums and experience actual people. Not horned up tourists and creepers.

Berlin:

This is a great place in which to explore the city center. It has grown enormously since the fall of the Berlin Wall and there is so much to do and see. And make sure you research your hostel/hotel well before you book it. Berlin is gigantic! Be sure you are near the center of the city and not a 20-minute tram ride outside. Traveling into the city can be a drag in the morning, especially when it is raining. And explore Tiergarten, the main park, for a couple hours. It is gigantic and amazing! Also, try a döner, at a ‘hole-in-the-wall’ restaurant. They are amazing.

Prague:

It is hard to say anything negative about Prague, make it a destination. The city is just amazing. Enjoy it. Try the traditional food. Goulasch and Dumplings with Czech beer. It can do you no wrong.

Vienna:

See the canal running through the city. It is awesome. I said before, they allow graffiti artists to do their thing down there. Also, find a biergarten by the canal and enjoy a couple hours with a cold one. And find one that has sand. Awesome. Also, we recommend setting aside some time to see at least one of their many, many museums. 

 

Rome:

The biggest thing I would recommend about Rome is to bring lots of sunscreen and a water bottle. Sunscreen – for obvious reasons. Such as the Pope banishing all clouds from his beautiful skies. And a water bottle because there are fountains everywhere that you can fill them up in. Stay hydrated. I cannot stress this enough. Or if you are a serious tourist, go to Rome in the wintertime. You will have to deal with the cold, yes, but there will be no tourists!
Second biggest thing to stress is to filter the most important sites when you go. I understand that you ‘want to see as much as you can in the short amount of time,’ but seriously edit things down. Only the most important. There are millions of things to see in Rome, choose the sites that will not make your day stressful.
Also, watch the menu prices, I explained before what we found out 'when in rome...' Do not fall for their sneaky ways.

Florence:

Another city in which you should try to get away from the city center is Florence. Unfortunately, you may have to learn more basic Italian to do so, but the areas without the large groups of tourists staring at and taking pictures of everything are awesome. And, of course, keep that sunscreen and water bottle with you.

Geneva:

Go to Geneva. Make it a destination. It is fantastic. Better yet, go to Switzerland on a trip specifically. And if you are into it, get out into the wilderness. There are so many little places you can get lost at in the mountains and spare yourself from the hustle and bustle of city life. Get locked up in a mountain lodge and go skiing and snowshoeing!

Paris:

What can I say about Paris...go there! Do the most important tourist things you want to do and then leave the rest of the time to explore the city. Like Prague, it has enormous character and there is something to find everywhere. I will also say do NOT get swindled like the three of us did. Those friendship bracelet-makers are tricky. Watch the con-artists on the bridge near the Eiffel Tower try to swindle money out of people with their 'three cup and ball' game. It is amazing how sly they are with a simple movement and how people do not see their tricks when they are hurrying to get money out because they believe they have won. Very fun to watch.

Overall:

Learn the language of the countries you visit! I cannot stress this enough. Yes you can get by with speaking English in most places, but the reaction you get when you say hello to someone and ask if they speak English in their native language is so much more welcoming than if you blurt out 'do you speak English' like a tourist. Especially in France; we were expecting people to be very short with American tourists even with speaking French. Although, asking them if the spoke English in French made a world of difference and we had no problems.

There are many places to go in which to get away from the tourist areas. Try to do it as much as possible if you feel comfortable. Experiencing the actual place is so much better than seeing all the ‘sites.’ Though, they are good to see as well.
Do not rush your stay. And do not over schedule your days. Like I said above, take some time to experience the city and its character. Sit at a café and enjoy yourself. Soak up the sun on the grass in a park. Find some townies and talk with them. Find out what they do for fun.
One thing the three of us wish we had done and I dare you to try: get lost in the city one day and see what you find. I dare you.

And that is all that I have to say about our trip to Europe. It definitely went by far too quickly, most likely because we packed our days full of things to do. However, it was awesome. I would never trade that experience for anything.
I hope that everyone who has followed us around has learned something from our experience. And if anyone is thinking about planning a Euro Trip of their own, I hope this blog has helped you create your itinerary.


steinkraus.